Oconee BOE mulls over $35 million budget

WATKINSVILLE -- The Oconee County Board of Education is contemplating a budget of almost $35 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The school board took an initial public look at a proposed budget for the 2001-02 fiscal year Monday night.

Doug Eza, the school system's director of operations, is projecting expenditures of $34,736,731. While that amount is $592,415 more than the revenues projected by Eza, he pointed out that the school system should end the current fiscal year with $4.25 million in reserve funding, more than enough to cover any projected shortfall.

Also, Eza noted, fiscal trends in the county have been positive.

''Last year we started with a half-million dollar deficit and we were able to make it up during the year,'' Eza said. ''Taxes came in stronger than we anticipated, interest rates were high last year so the locally-generated income was a little bit higher ...''

The budget proposal calls for a number of new teachers, in addition to technology and facility improvements.

Those items, recommended by the board's finance committee, translate into $687,158 in spending. The recommendations are based on requests made by school principals earlier this year.

Among the finance committee recommendations are:

Two new teachers for Oconee County High School, at a cost of $60,853 each, two doublewide trailer classrooms at a total cost of $31,000 and a cafeteria pavilion at $30,000.

Two doublewide trailer classrooms at Malcom Bridge Middle School, at a total cost of $31,000, a part time custodian at $7,500, and a part-time gifted teacher at $24,000.

A new boiler at Oconee County Middle School at a cost of $15,000, and roofing work on the cafeteria at $10,000.

A $60,000 outlay to cover improved employee retirement benefits, $55,000 to cover water service and garbage pickup at schools, at $27,000 for new technology at all schools.

This article published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Tuesday, May 8, 2001.